General development and master planning for a restructuring project at the Tuttlingen medical technology manufacturer

The largest single investment project in the history of Aesculap AG was successfully completed with the support of Ingenics. Two main aims were achieved: establishing a framework to manage constantly growing long term demand, and expanding the traditional site in Tuttlingen as a technological competence center and production facility.

With the support of parent company B. Braun Melsungen AG, the management team at Aesculap decided to vacate the old administration, development, and sales buildings in 2011 and build two state-of-the-art factories for production – an area showing strong growth. Additional land was to be acquired as reserve space.

Given the complexity of this restructuring project, it was essential to involve a consulting firm with experience in site development and factory planning in order to ensure a structured and sustainable development. “The full consequences of any oversights that may occur in an extensive expansion and conversion project on existing premises only become clear much later,” explains Dr. Joachim Schulz, director of production and logistics at Aesculap. Ingenics was therefore commissioned to create a master plan for the entire construction project.

For Ingenics, priority from the outset was to focus on processes that determine product quality, system stability, and profitability. Factory planning, process design, and production philosophies were implemented closely in line with principles of lean production. One aspect of creating a general development and master plan was to investigate value streams with respect to business objectives and concepts in production, assembly, and logistics. Economic, energy-efficient building structures and production processes were defined to offer maximum flexibility for future changes, as were space and room allocation plans. “It was certainly a challenge for Ingenics to get to grips with the complex structures in motor and container production, which have very different product ranges, as well as the central administrative departments,” notes Dr. Joachim Schulz.

The master plan incorporated fundamental managerial considerations, outcomes of the various analyses carried out by Ingenics, discussions about developed variants, and major decisions. This paved the way for further business development and construction of the Innovation Factory, where motor systems and sterile containers are produced. In addition to factory planning, Ingenics was tasked with collecting entries for an architectural competition so that the optimal design for construction of the Innovation Factory could be presented. Ingenics provided Aesculap with full support when it came to planning, preparing, and carrying out the competition.

The first of the two new factories – a building for technical services, raw materials storage, disposal, and a new forge – was opened in spring 2014. Including the Innovation Factory, 50 million euros were invested in the company’s most expensive construction project to date. The largest Aesculap plant now stands in Tuttlingen with a production area spanning more than 15,000sqm.

Aesculap has managed to develop contemporary industrial architecture of an exemplary standard that fully reflects the holistic principles of B. Braun: “Sharing Expertise – Driving Innovation – Increasing Efficiency – Living Sustainability.” Company management are highly satisfied with every aspect of the consulting services provided by Ingenics. Factory planning services and the architectural competition laid foundations for an extremely sophisticated and innovative industrial system of considerable dimensions, achieving harmony between function and aesthetics, and economy and sustainability. “We were impressed by the skills and knowledge of Ingenics with respect to the medical technology industry as well as their management of such a large and complex project,” concludes Dr. Joachim Schulz.